Cecilia Keaveney
Question:48 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the current waiting lists for category one to five orthodontic treatment in counties Donegal and Sligo. [23578/96]
Written Answers. - Orthodontic Service.
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:49 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the average waiting period for orthodontic treatment for a Patient in category one to five in counties Donegal and Sligo on a category by category basis. [23579/96]
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:50 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health the average age of persons waiting for category one to five orthodontic treatment in counties Sligo and Donegal. [23580/96]
Limerick East): I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 49 and 50 together.
The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. I have asked the North-Western Health Board to provide me with the information. Unfortunately, the complete information was not available on time. However, I will write to the Deputy with the complete information within a week.
Cecilia Keaveney
Question:51 Cecilia Keaveney asked the Minister for Health if he will make a statement on the adequacy of current provisions of orthodontic treatment outside the greater Dublin area. [23581/96]
Limerick East): The health board orthodontic services are currently being developed by my Department in accordance with the dental health action plan. The action plan provides for the phased improvement of orthodontic treatment services through a consultant led orthodontic service in each health board.
Most health boards have now been successful in recruiting consultant orthodontists. The Mid-Western, North-Western, South-Eastern, Southern and Eastern Health Boards now have consultants working for them and are consolidating and extending their orthodontic services under the overall direction and supervision of the consultant. The Western Health Board had a full-time consultant up to mid-1996. This full-time consultant resigned to take up a full-time appointment with the Eastern Health Board. Where health boards have not yet been successful in recruiting consultants they have made arrangements with private orthodontists to provide services.
A primary task of the consultant is to organise and co-ordinate orthodontic training to sub-consultant level for health board dental staff. This enables health boards to provide a greatly increased volume of service and a service of high quality.
Where health boards have been successful in recruiting consultant orthodontists the services provided by these boards have been considerably improved. This demonstrates, very clearly, the success of my Department's strategy of consultant led teams for the provision of orthodontic services.
I will, in conjunction with the health boards, continue to develop the consultant led orthodontic services over the course of the dental health action plan. The ultimate objective is to bring the level of service provision in line with the level of treatment need.